Dear Romy,

  We did it –not only did we reach 3,000 online pledges, we almost hit 5,000!  

  Congratulations to Smart Futures for receiving the highest number of online pledges and winning the UPMC Day-of-Service.  A further congratulations to Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania on their runner-up status, and to CCAC for their notable pledge contributions. And a big thanks to all of the community partners, pledge signers, and behind-the-scenes helpers for your commitment and support of the Dignity and Respect Campaign.  
 

      I’d also like to extend a special thanks to the folks at Leadership Pittsburgh  for their generosity in providing a half Day-of-Service to Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the runner-up in the pledge drive. Their commitment helps us as we continue to promote a workplace and community of dignity and respect.
 

                                                              — Dawnita Wilson

     Dignity and Respect Campaign Manager 

 

           

 

 

 

A new national study has concluded that disadvantaged teens under mentorship are twice as likely than non-mentored teens to enter into college.

The study was authorized by Lance Erkison, professor of sociology at Brigham Young University. According to the research, a youth’s potential can be determined by the social enviornment that surrounds them. As a result, tennagers growing up in unstable environments may have less opportunity to reach their full potential. Yet, if a positive mentor can intervene, he or she has the ability to reverse negative influences and guide the youth in a more positive direction.

The most encouraging news is that mentors do not have to be a formal influence. Most students who took part in the study revealed that their mentor was not a school official, but a informal influence. The research showed that with over 14,000 students claiming to have a mentor, only 7% of the mentors were teachers.

Teachers are a great influence on a student, but they cannot be given the entirely responsibility. The community is a great resource to reach out to students and act as positive guidance. Mentoring has been proven to be effective with student’s lives, and it is a critical component in youth development.

  

Erickson, Lance. “Informal Mentors and Trajectories of Antisocial Behaviors” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal Convention Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Aug 11, 2006 <Not Available>. 2009-05-25 <http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p103173_index.html>

http://accredited-education.com/blog/

The Coloradoan
November 18, 2009

www.coloradoan.comFirst lady reminds us of importance of mentoring

Partners Mentoring Youth is a good local place to begin
 

First lady Michelle Obama’s visit to Denver this week brought some much-needed attention to mentoring.

Such programs expose young people to positive adult role models. To help illustrate the message, Obama was accompanied by women Cabinet members, business leaders, an astronaut, actresses and elected officials when she met with 80 girls in Denver.

As the first lady pointed out, “We’re not launching this because somehow we’re the first people in the world to think of mentoring. There are organizations all across the country who do mentoring – they do it every day in the lives of kids, and you don’t have to be the first lady or an actress to be a mentor.”

Nonprofits throughout Larimer County could use mentoring help, but a good place to start if you’re interested is Partners Mentoring Youth. The organization connects adult role models with children ages 7 to 17.

Partners Mentoring Youth says after a year of participating in the program, children show significant improvement, including:

> A significant increase in their future orientation.

> Being more committed to living a drug and alcohol-free life.

> Greater attachment to their family, friends and other adults.

> An increase in self-esteem.

If you’re interested in learning more, visit www.partnersmentoringyouth.org or call (970) 484-7123 in Fort Collins or (970) 667-0911 in Loveland.

Herald-Standard.com:  Business-education program looks for e-mentors

Posted using ShareThis

 

We would like to thank everyone who participated in UPMC’s Dignity and Respect Month. As of October 31st, 4793 people took the pledge to promote inclusion through dignity and respect. A total of 1671 of them were in Smart Futures’ name.

As winners of the contest, UPMC will grant Smart Futures a day of service. We will keep you updated as the day draws near!

Thanks we could not have done it without you, 

Smart Futures Team